A world divided between followers of the Shandowstone and the followers of the light of the Lambient forces an unlikely pair together.
Mason Gray despises the Steward knights with every fiber of his being. After the brutal murder of his brother, he dedicates his life to the eradication of them and their leader. He is close to receiving the highest honor in the dark army, the Shandowstone, and its ability to move unseen. To earn it, he must continue to prove himself a capable but silent and unseen fighter. During a mission, he sustains injuries, and Seria, a peasant woman, saves him. However, because of his disguise, she mistakenly believes he is one of the Steward knights that she idolizes.
Seria is overjoyed that she has saved one of the Stewards and hopes to nurse him back to health, only he doesn’t act like the heroes she has heard of. He is cold, distant, and self-seeking. Hoping this is due to his head injury and her dreary living situation, she continues caring for him and hopes he will put in a good word for her with the castle healers.
Mason is furious. He can’t use his gift on Seria and control her. Instead, he is forced to endure her endless conversations about the beloved stewards. Once he is healed, he can finish his mission and have his revenge. Only as time goes on, he wonders if that will be enough to satisfy the anger he carries, and if he succeeds, what will happen to this selfless peasant girl?
This slow-burn action-packed fantasy will leave you spellbound. I loved Mason despite his deadly profession. His hurt and passion kept me rooting for him even though he was determined to remain on the wrong side, or the dark side, if you will. Okay, I’ll stop with the Star Wars jokes. Seria’s kind heart and selfless attitude begs to shatter Mason’s hard shell and I can’t wait to read the sequel! I didn’t particularly like the prince, but the author wrote the rest of the cast extremely well.
Scoresheet:
Spice/Romance: Mild kissing/embracing.
Violence: No excessive gore, but death and wounds are mentioned multiple times.
Morals/Worldview: Christian worldview/allegorical God.
Recommended reading age: 15+
